Dorking Cockerel
51°14′08.6″N 0°19′20.5″W / 51.235722°N 0.322361°W
The Dorking Cockerel is a sculpture on Deepdene roundabout in Dorking, Surrey, England. It depicts a male Dorking chicken, which were historically an important part of the town's economy. The 3-metre (10 ft) tall cockerel was sculpted by Peter Parkinson and erected in 2007. The sculpture is a local landmark and has been subject to guerrilla knitting campaigns to mark special occasions.
Commissioning and erection[edit]
The town of Dorking in Surrey, has a long connection with the poultry trade. The Dorking chicken was bred locally and sold to London consumers.[1] The chicken is a popular local symbol and has featured in the logos of local clubs and societies, including Dorking Wanderers F.C., and on road signs.[2] Dorking councillor Neil Maltby proposed that the town commission a piece of modern art to sit in Deepdene roundabout and represent the town, and a cockerel was decided upon.[1]
The sculpture was created by Peter Parkinson of the Fire and Iron Gallery in nearby Leatherhead.[1] He built an extension to his house to allow him to work on the sculpture indoors.[2] It was modelled on Glen Two, a former exhibition and stud cockerel, owned by local poultry breeder Lana Gazder. It includes the distinctive fifth toe of the Dorking breed.[2] There were some difficulties in the process, as Glen Two was moulting at the time and had lost his tail feathers.[1] The sculpture took eight months to build and was erected in the roundabout on 5 February 2007.[2] There was some opposition to the statue during its design and construction, but it has since become a popular local landmark.[1]
Decoration[edit]
The sculpture is the subject of frequent guerrilla knitting operations. A local group, based out of knitting shop The Fluff-a-Torium, are responsible.[3] The cockerel is dressed with knitted decorations to mark holidays and festivals, including a heart for Valentine's Day, a bonnet and egg for Easter and a red coat and Santa hat for Christmas.[1][3] The sculpture has also been dressed to reflect current events, including a crown for Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, a gold medal during the 2012 London Olympics, a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, baby shoes to mark the birth of Prince George, and a floral crown to mark the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.[1][4] To mark the visit of comedian Lee Mack to the town to perform a comedy gig, the sculpture received a knitted traffic cone on its head.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Lytollis, Roger (4 November 2021). On a Pedestal: A Trip around Britain's Statues. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-4721-4611-3.
- ^ a b c d Tobin, Olivia (5 February 2017). "Ever wondered why there is a cockerel on Deepdene roundabout?". SurreyLive. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Duffell, Beth (1 February 2017). "Dorking Cockerel's top knitted attire ahead of 10th birthday". SurreyLive. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Steed, Les (21 May 2018). "The Dorking Cockerel". SurreyLive. Retrieved 4 March 2022.